Safety-bit for horses and other animals.



G. OIAMMAIGHELLA.

SAFETY BIT FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS.

APPLIOATION PILED MAE. 12, 1907.

Patented N 0V. 24, 1908.

2 BHEETS-SKEET 1.

rm: mamas PEYERS 0a., WASHINGION, c. c.

G. OIAMMAIGHELLA.

SAFETY BIT FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1907.

Patented N0v.24,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

All)" GIOVANNI GIAMMAIOHELLA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETYBIT FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed March 12, 1907. Serial N0. 361,978.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, GIOVANNI CIAMMAI- CHELLA, subject of the King ofItaly, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, UnitedStates of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety-Bits for Horses and other Animals, of which the following is aspecification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which myinvention relates to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a bit for horses and other animals which whilebeing easy and rapid in its action, adjustable and particularlyetlicacious, far from inflicting any torture upon the animal is acomfort to it and tends to keep its mouth moist and fresh.

The invention is chiefly characterized by the action of the bit upon theramifications of the chin nerve of the lower part of the animals mouth.To this end the bit is mainly distinguished by a light bar which a kindof curb acting upon the bars behind the teeth to bring about thestoppage of the animal. For the purpose of insuring the proper action ofthis bar while affording a sufficient support to the animals mouth, thesaid bar is combined with a mouth bar exerting the required pressureupon the animals mouth and in all cases suflicient. to control a quietanimal, the curb bar passing by preference into a recess made in themouth bar so that while providing a mouth bar of a diameter large enoughto act on the animals mouth, the entire device consisting of the mouthbar and the curb bar does not occupy too much space in the mouth.

In the accompanying drawings :-F igure 1 is a side elevation of the bitin its initial position, the full lines showing the curb bar slightlymoved away from a recess in the mouth bar in which it is intended tolodge and the dotted lines, the bar lowered so as to exert its actionupon the bars of the animals mouth in the region of the ramification ofthe chin nerves. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of one of the cheekpieces or branches of the said bit. Figs. 3 and t represent the mouthbar or cannon in front ele vation and in section. Figs. 5 and 6 aresimilar views of the curb bar. Fig. 7 represents a bit in which the curbbar has a direct action upon the corresponding portion of the bar of themouth.

Two side cheek pieces or branches A are provided and each branch carriesa lower necting the bit to the animal's headstall and serving to applythe curb, a ring E for the upper or driving reins, and an arc-shapedlever F having a guide slot and jointed at to the angular lever C andsliding upon a fixed point 1 of the ring or eye of the branch A, thesaid two guide levers supporting the curb bar provided on its undersidewith a slight edge along a portion of its length. Between the two eyeson the upper part of the branches A is held the mouth-bar H (illustratedin detail at Figs. 3 and 4) which has, on its underside, a groove h inwhich the curb bar G can partially lodge, see Figs. 1, 3 and e.

As shown by the full lines in Fig. 1, the apparatus, properly speaking,does not exert any action upon the animal; the curb bar G is partiallylocated in the groove in the mouth-bar H which is in contact with theback of the mouth. To support the horse while in motion the two upperreins in the rings E must be held uniformly tight. The bottom of theslot in the arc-shaped lever F through the medium of the curb bar exertsa slight upward action upon the mouth bar so as to place it in contactwith the animals mouth. This action, however, if at the same time boththe driving reins on the upper ring E be held rather loose, allows themovements of the animal to permit the arcshaped or slotted lever toslightly oscillate and with it the curb bar, the oscillation of which issutlicient to cause salivation in the animals mouth and so keep it moistand fresh. The thickness of the mouth bar renders the bit at this partmore comfortable than any snallle bit while all'ording it a mostetlicient support so that the bit becomes an actual assistance to horseswith weak fore quarters or affected with shoulder, leg or footcomplaints. To stop the animal, a uniform and gently increasing tractionmust be exerted on the lower or curb reins at B while loosening theupper reins at E. In consequence of the resistance offered to thismovement of the lever from left to right by the contact of the mouth barwith the animals mouth, the upper part of the branch A is compelled tomove towards the left, as shown by the dotted lines, and carry with itin its movement the angular lever C and the slotted lever, which thenassumes the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the curb barbeing, in a manner, drawn along with the slotted lever against the barsof the animals mouth, that is to say, against the ramifications of thechin nerve with a force proportionate to the degree of traction thusexerted upon the curb bar through the medium of the reins. This actionexerted with the required degree suddenly substituting to the action ofthe curb bar that or the mouth bar will be sutlicient to stop the mostvicious horse without giving him pain. Recourse should be had thereto,in case of necessity, for example, when the horse tries to gain themastery or becomes nervous. To allow the horse to again move forward itis only necessary to loose the lower reins and to act upon the upperreins at E so as to thus bring back the slotted lever withthe curb bar(in their movement combined with the angular lever G) into the positionshown in full lines and the curb bar in its initial contact with themouth bar H ready to act upon the said mouth bar to place it in contactwith the horses mouth as hereinbetore stated.

Fig. 7 illustrates a bit having a direct ac tion upon the ramificationsof the chin nerve. It differs from the bit illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6in that the action of the upper reins is wholly independent of that ofthe lower reins. The curb bar G is actuated directly by a lever l at theangular end 2' of which it is directly attached, the lever pivoting at apoint on the eye or ring A which carries at 2 the mouth bar H and canmove around the point (Z. A pull upon the upper reins attached to thering in will place the mouth bar in contact with the horses mouth orkeep it in contact therewith. The action of the curb bar is directlyexerted as hereinbefore described by a pull upon the check reins at B.Consequently great power is available for particularly vicious horses orhorses having particularly hard mouths.

Besides the advantages which have been mentioned, particularly asregards the indirectly acting curb, I would add that through thepeculiar structure and arrangement of the bit it does not embarrass theanimals mouth nor strike the bars thereof, but allows the animal to runat a free and regular speed, the bit cannot be taken between its teeth,nor become displaced in the direction of traction of the reins and itprevents the horse from running away or getting beyond the control ofthe curb.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination in a bridle bit, of a main mouth bar having cheekside pieces ceases connected therewith, said bar being providedcentrally with an upwardly directed loop or bend; and the bottom sidethereof being provided with a longitudinal groove or recess, anglelevers pivoted to the cheek. side pieces, arc-shaped levers pivoted tothe angle levers and provided with longitudinal slots in which the endsof the main mouth bar are movable, and a curb bar connected with saidangle levers and adapted to operate in connection with the main mouthbar.

2. A bridle bit comprisin a main mouth bar, side pieces connectedtherewith, angle levers pivoted to said side pieces arc-shaped leverspivoted to said angle levers and provided with slots in which the endsof the mouth bar are movable, and a curb bar connected with saidarc-shaped levers and adapted to operate in connection with the maincurb bar.

3. In a bridle bit, two side pieces, a main mouth'bar, connectedtherewith, angle levers pivoted to the top portion or the side pieces,arc-shaped levers pivoted to the angle levers, and provided withlongitudinal slots through which end members of the mouth bar pass, anda supplemental curb bar mounted in said arc-shaped levers and adapted tooperate in connection with the main mouth bar.

4:. A bridle bit comprising side members having head-stall attachingdevices, and provided with downwardly directed shanks having reinattaching devices, a main mouth bar connected with said side men'ilmrsand provided centrally with an upwardly directed bend, the bottom ofsaid bar and the bottom of said bend being provided with a longitudinalgroove, and a movable curb bar supported below the main mouth bar andprovided centrally with a similar upwardly directed bend, and means forthrowing said curb bar into and out of the groove in the main mouth bar.

A bridle bit comprising circular side pieces having headstall and reinattaching devices, and provided with downwardly directed shanks havingrein attaching devices, a main mouth bar connected with said circularside pieces and provided in the bottom thereof with a longitudinalgroove, and ccn trally thereof with an upwardly directed bend, and amovable curb bar supported below the main mouth bar and providedcentrally with a similar upwardly directed bend, said curb bar beingadapted to be thrown into and out of the groove in the main mouth bar.

GIOVANNI Ulrlillillilltllillhlnl- Witnesses JOHN EDWARD KELLY, LnnLANAUD.

